Bracknell decided it was time for a change with Labour snatching back a seat in the town council by-elections last week.

Labour now hold three seats on Bracknell Town Council with Andy Jackson winning the town centre ward by just 10 votes.

The candidates stood in silent anticipation as the ballot forms were counted on Friday to see who would take the seat vacated by Neil Ellis, the owner of The Bull pub, in September.

Councillor Jackson scraped a win with 94 votes to the Conservative’s Lisa Bradley’s 84, but the other two hopefuls caused no threat with 12 votes for the Green Party’s Mark Brown, and 10 for Liberal Democrat Larraine de Laune.

Cllr Jackson believes the heart of the town should be a better place to live and wants to put his efforts into the regeneration plans.

He said: “We need to improve life for those who live in the town centre. I think they can tend to be a forgotten group of people so I’m looking forward to representing them and hopefully helping out with some of the issues they have.”

Town and borough councillor Mary Temperton was pleased her party had secured another seat on the town council.

She said: “He’s done so well, it’s been a long, hard fight.

“This is really good news for us.”

The turnout was 22 per cent.

Voting also took place in Sandhurst to fill a vacant seat on the town council in Owlsmoor ward. Andrew Shellhorn for the Conservatives was successful winning the seat with 269 votes.

Cllr Shellhorn has been a councillor in other parts of the country and believes the job is all about getting involved in the community.

He said: “I’m quite keen to get involved and help out in the local area. Making sure it’s clean, graffiti free, helping out with the police and things like that.”

Bracknell Liberal Democrats said they were ‘disappointed not to have gained this ward’ when their candidate Ray Earwicker missed out with 223 votes.